The Civil Guard has arrested or investigated around 50 people for alleged crimes against industrial property, fraud, food fraud, document falsification and against public health. Within the framework of operation OPSON XIII against food fraud, the Civil Guard has arrested 32 people in Spain, and is investigating another 21.
This is a macro operation that involves the security forces of several European countries, focused on specific actions on counterfeit food and alcoholic beverages – or of lower quality than they are supposed to have – supply chains of illegal foods, food fraud, food safety and economically motivated product adulteration.
European law enforcement agencies describe an increase in such illegal practices in many European countries, in which criminals join forces to sell expired or counterfeit products with the help of some waste disposal companies. These alter the expiration dates of expired foods, such as, for example, olive oil and wines with a protected designation of origin. The products are “re-labeled” with new dates and reintroduced to the market, putting foods that are possibly harmful to health into circulation.
In Europe, according to the Civil Guard, 22,000 tons of illicit products and 850,000 liters of beverages, mostly alcoholic, have been seized so far. In total, goods valued at more than 91 million euros have been withdrawn from the market.
The Spanish armed institute explains that, in total, its agents have carried out more than 3,000 inspections and searches in distribution centers, warehouses, means of transport, ports and airports throughout Spain, in which up to 2,200 administrative infractions have been detected.
In La Rioja, for example, the Spanish Judicial Police, together with Europol and the Italian Carabinieri, seized 120,000 cans of tuna and 45,000 liters of oil in a company in the town of Alfaro. Four people were arrested for selling low-quality tuna and oil with false labeling.
In the Madrid municipality of Valdemoro, SEPRONA confiscated and destroyed 642 jugs of oil, 104 hams and 207 cheeses in poor condition. One person was arrested and four remain under investigation for marketing hams and cheeses without traceability, and for passing off jugs of seed oil as extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
Also in Andalusia and the Valencian Community there have been OPSON XIII actions. In Valencia, for example, SEPRONA seized 80,000 kg of pickles from a company that added unauthorized colorings and preservatives to food. The manager has been arrested for crimes against public health.
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